On the 7th Day of Christmas...

We don't watch tons of tv in our house, but I am thankful for my DVR... I recorded many wonderful shows on the real meaning of Christmas for the kids and we still are watching them. Just last night, we watched the Legend of the Christmas Flower, a sweet story about the pointsetta. We are also still singing and listening to Christmas music. And while our neighborhood is being de-Christmas'ed, we are shining bright! I wonder when my neighbors will start to talk...ha!

So for the 7th day of Christmas, I bring you our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day pictures, plus this video of Thomas singing the song his choir sang at the Christmas Eve service (next year I'm bringing my camera to church!)

Before We Ring In the New Year...

I cannot let the New Year come without reviewing some of the fun we had these past few months (so much to say, so many pictures to show...sit back with some hot cocoa and enjoy!). Our family celebrations began in mid-November with Thomas' birthday and BUG party.
Here are some pictures:


For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Greenville to visit the South Carolina Franklins... To say the cousins had fun would be an understatement!


We started Advent with our church playgroup making gingerbread houses and paper Advent wreaths...

From Gingerbread Houses

From Gingerbread Houses

Then it was time for Hudson's 2nd birthday party. Catch him if you can! Hudson is two and he is on the run...Watch the slideshow for some Gingerbread birthday fun (and the most precious little bakers you've ever seen!)


Other late November and December fun included the Thomas and me traveling on the Polar Express...

From Polar Express 2009

From Polar Express 2009

From Polar Express 2009

Seeing Santa at the Santa's Workshop PALS fundraiser...

Visiting the walk through Nativity at Briarwood on a very very cold night...

Happy Birthday Jesus parties with friends...













ZooLight Safari...













And A Night in Bethlehem and Living Nativity at St. Mark UMC with friends...

From Painting and Living Nativity

Clearly this was a busy holiday season and the best part was that it was filled not just with activities but people we love dearly. Our celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will wait until the next post...

Jesse Tree ~ Day 25

Joy to the World!

Christmas Day December 25

Today’s symbol: Candle

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” John 1:9-10

“ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Color the candle ornament and talk about Jesus being the Light of the World.
*We'll talk about what difference that makes in our lives. I love to see the children in children's chapel reach out as they put out the candles at the end of chapel and then they put their hand to their heart. Picture a roomful of precious children reaching out for the Light of Christ...Lord, may that physical action be followed by each little heart trusting You and seeking to follow You...
*We will read another children's bible version of the Christmas story.
*Not a Christmas song, but I enjoy Watermark and this song of praise speaks beautifully to the Light of the World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-3Sh7QNd
*Light a candle! (one that can burn all day would be great)

May all the blessings of Christmas be yours...

Jesse Tree ~ Day 24

Christmas Eve! December 24
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:1-7

Today’s symbol: Stable

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read a story of the birth of Jesus in a children’s Bible.
*Attend a Christmas Eve church service…We are going to the Blessing of the Creche at our church.
*Sing Away in a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem...
*Color the stable and add as many people from the nativity story as you which…Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Angels, Shepherds….

Here are pictures from our painting of a precious stable scene with friends and our visit to "A night in Bethlehem and Living Nativity" at a local church...

Jesse Tree ~ Day 23

December 23
“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:20,21

Today’s symbol: Hammer

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read Matthew 1:18-25 and talk about Joseph’s dream. What was he told to name the baby? What does that name mean?
*Play with tools and pretend to be a carpenter like Joseph.
*This is a beautiful song and the pictures of Joseph’s role in Jesus’ life were so touching to me:

*Color the hammer ornament!

Jesse Tree ~ Day 22

December 22
“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant, for behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed…” Luke 1:46

Today’s symbol: Lily

Ideas to do and talk about:
*The Beginners Bible has a simple and brief story “An Angel Visits Mary” in which Mary says “I love God. I will do what he has chosen me to do.” Isn’t that amazing!? And her “Yes!” to God has blessed us all…
*We’ve talked about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s child John on the two previous days. After Elizabeth has greeted Mary, Mary then makes an amazing prayer of thanksgiving, what we call the Magnificat.
*I found this video of children reciting the Magnificat to show the boys:



*Color the lily ornament. Why a lily? I found this information about the symbolism of the lily:
Lily: Symbolizes purity, chastity, and innocence. White lilies represent the purity of the Virgin Mary. The Angel Gabriel was often painted presenting Mary with a white lily when he announced to her that she would give birth to the Son of God.

Jesse Tree ~ Day 21

December 21
“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire…’” Luke 3:15, 16

Today’s symbol: Shell (a traditional symbol of baptism)

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read about John the Baptist in a children’s bible or finish the online slide show from December 20th. I will stop reading before the stories talk about John baptizing Jesus. The main point I want my kids to understand is that John was sent by God to prepare them for Jesus.
*The Jesus Storybook bible explains that John told the people that they needed to be rescued and to get their hearts ready. How are we getting ready for Jesus? Advent traditionally was a solemn season of preparation that included examining oneself for un-confessed sins. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to greet Christmas morning free of the burdens of any un-confessed sin…
*Color the shell ornament and hang it on the tree!

Jesse Tree ~ Days 18 through 20

Before I forget...I want to mention another favorite Advent/Christmas tradition of ours...I collect nativity scenes and have quite a few. As I unpack them to set them up all over the house at the beginning of Advent, I hide all the baby Jesus' so that all my nativity scenes seem to be missing the MOST important person. It's funny to me that adults typically don't ask me about it but Thomas always does several times..."Where's Jesus?" And that, of course, is the point! I explain that we are WAITING for Jesus's birth on Christmas Day. Then on Christmas morning, we give Thomas the baby Jesus to put in the first nativity scene he'll come to. That nativity scene will have a mismatched baby Jesus and he'll find the right nativity scene for it and on and on until the last nativity scene in the room with the Christmas tree (and of course the presents)! It is great fun and gets the focus on Christ first thing on Christmas morning....

December 18
“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.” Habakkuk 2:1

Today’s symbol: Watchtower

Ideas to do and talk about:
*I didn’t find a children’s story about Habakkuk, but this brief article
http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=7468 for adults was helpful to me and will help me explain the watchtower ornament.
*In the book of Isaiah (62:6), God says, “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance take no rest.” This was often the role of prophet to stand and watch for the Lord and to never be silent in trying to bring others to repentance. I believe this is the role of parents—to stand and watch for the Lord and never be silent in bringing their children to Him.
*Advent is about waiting and watching….Waiting for Christmas Day but more importantly watching for The Coming again of Jesus Christ. Talk about waiting. What is hard about waiting? Can anything make waiting easier?
*This reminds me of a prayer from the Compline service in the Book of Common Prayer:
Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
*Remember to color the watchtower ornament and hang it!

December 19
“But you, O Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth…” Micah 5:2,3a

Today’s symbol: City Wall

Ideas to do and talk about:
*All this waiting and watching has brought us to Bethlehem…the city Ruth and Naomi returned to and found the kinsman redeemer Boaz, the city of David as St. Luke tells us in Luke 2, and the city the prophet Micah says from which will come a “ruler in Israel whose origin is from old, from ancient days…”(see verse above).
*Talk about Bethlehem—it wasn’t an important place according to the world’s standards. The prophet Micah said it was “too little to be among the clans of Judah” yet the Lord saw it fit that Jesus would be born there. The Lord doesn’t judge according to the world’s standards.
*We will be going to A Night in Bethlehem at a local church on Sunday so hopefully that will give us a peek into life in Bethlehem at the time Jesus was born.
*Color the city wall. We might give add the classic dome that’s in every illustration of Bethlehem I’ve seen.

December 20
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.’” Luke 1:41-44

Today’s symbol: Mother and child

Ideas to do and talk about:
*I found the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah in The Little Boys Bible Storybook and it focuses primarily on Zechariah. The Bible for Children website has this story of John and you can stop reading after the slide about baby John being named (save the rest for tomorrow!): http://www.m1914.org/PDFs/english/A%20Man%20Sent%20From%20God%20English.pdf
*Talk about what it would be like to have your voice taken away like Zechariah. The Little Boys Bible Storybook has a brief application section after this story entitled, “A man of God is sometimes quiet.” We might have to start playing the “Zechariah game” (a new form of quiet mouse!) so we can practice this virtue :)
*Color the mother and child ornament and thank God for Elizabeth’s faith and hospitality to Mary. Thank God for the ministry of motherhood…

Jesse Tree ~ Days 16 and 17

Here is one of my most favorite hymns of the season...Can you can hear the deep yearning for the Savior to come?...



December 16
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send ,and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people…’” Isaiah 6:8,9a

Today’s symbol: Flaming Coal

Ideas to do and talk about:
*We will read “Operation: No More Tears” in the Jesus Storybook Bible. This beautiful chapter talks about God’s “Secret Rescue Plan” from Isaiah 9, 11, 40, 50, 53, 55 and 60…Have I mentioned how much I appreciate this children’s Bible! We might also read Isaiah 9:6 and talk about how God sent Isaiah to give the people hope that He would rescue them.
*I found this children’s story about Isaiah too:
http://www.bibleforchildren.org/PDFs/english/Isaiah%20Sees%20the%20Future%20English.pdf
* Color the burning coal ornament and talk about Isaiah’s vision of the Lord from Isaiah 6:1-3 in which “he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple…..And one (seraphim) called to another and said ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” What would you be thinking if you saw that vision? How did Isaiah feel after seeing the Lord? He felt unclean so one of the seraphim took a burning coal and touched Isaiah’s mouth and said Isaiah’s guilt was taken away. Isaiah then answered God’s call to tell God’s people that God would rescue them.
*Thank God for His messengers including Isaiah who give up everything to tell others about God’s great love for them…Thank God for his Secret Rescue Plan…Thank God for Jesus…


December 17
“My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me…Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” Jeremiah 8:18 & 9:1

Today’s symbol: Tears

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Here is a good summary of Jeremiah’s life and calling to be a prophet of the Lord. http://www.bibleforchildren.org/PDFs/english/Jeremiah%20Man%20of%20Tears%20English.pdf
*Talk about how much Jeremiah must have loved these people to whom God sent him to preach. They were not following God. They refused to listen to his warnings and calls to repentance time and time again. But he loved them so much he wept for them. Do we ever weep for those who do not know God? If not, why not?
*This time of year can be hard for many people in a variety of circumstances. Color the tear ornament and pray for those who weep today…

Jesse Tree ~ Days 14 and 15

I'm losing some momentum -- mostly because all the STUFF of Christmas is getting in the way... As I'm going into stores, I'm praying to find the items on my list easily and quickly... It sounds silly as I write it, but those prayers were answered this morning and I praise Him for it! May your lists to "TO DO's" be quickly, easily, joyfully turned into your list of "DONE's" and ALL for His glory!


December 14
“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’ And he answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.’” 1 Kings 18:17,18

Today’s symbol: Altar

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of God raining down fire on Elijah’s dripping wet altar from 1 Kings 18 in a children’s Bible. James 5:17 states that “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently…” It was not Elijah that performed the miracle but God so that the people said, “The LORD, He is God!” May our acts of faith bring others to say the same…
*When Elijah was called by God, Israel was not following God as King. They prayed to and worshiped the Baals (which were basically statues). Remember how God had warned Israel about kings through Samuel…
*Color the altar ornament. We will color piles of rocks to turn the modern looking altar to what it might have looked like in the story.
*Thank God for going to great lengths to have a relationship with us and for sending us messengers to speak Truth to us in our sinfulness.

December 15
“ ‘Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?...’” 2 Kings 18:19
Hezekiah prayed: “ ‘So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.’” 1 Kings 19:19

Today’s symbol: Tent

Ideas to do and talk about:
*I could not find an account of King Hezekiah in a children’s Bible so click here for a summary I found online
*It is one thing to trust the Lord in matters that affect only you, but King Hezekiah had great faith that God would save not only himself but his people, too. From one of the boys’ favorite shows, “The battle is the Lord’s!” Battles we face truly are the Lord’s. We have our part to play in them, but our part usually is the adding of our weakness to His strength. What battles are you facing now? Give them to the Lord in prayer…
*How does the tent ornament fit in? Well, when people got up and saw that the angel of the Lord had struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians, the king of Assyria quickly departed…probably leaving his tent behind!

Jesse Tree ~ Days 9 through 13

December 9
“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.” Deuteronomy 5:22

Today’s symbol: Ten Commandments

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments (from Exodus 19-20) in a children’s bible. The title of the Jesus Story Book Bible chapter on this subject is “Ten ways to be perfect.” I appreciate that title because it gets to the heart of the matter—there is NO way to keep all these commandments and NO way to be perfect…But we can trust in Jesus' perfection!
* “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” Exodus 20:1-2 These people belonged to God—They were in God’s family so they had family rules. What are some of our family rules? Why are these rules important to our family? Should we add any rules? What should happen if we do not follow these rules? Do we ask other people to follow our rules?
*Thank God for His rules that guide us to Him.
*Color the Tablets ornament and hang it on the tree!


December 10
“But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.” Joshua 2:6
“”Then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall…” Joshua 2:14
“Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through with you let us down…” Joshua 2:18

Today’s symbol: Rahab’s Rope

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Joshua 2 in a children’s Bible. The Beginner’s Bible states the story very simply. This is the story of a sinful woman who had an opportunity to follow God and through her saying “yes” to God, she saved her family AND is listed in Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 1:5)! God didn’t have to use Rahab to bring about His purposes but He did….
*Talk about how we do not have to be perfect (we can’t be!) to follow God. We just have to say “Yes!” Reminds me of a VBS song from Studio Go! which we will probably sing and Hudson will do all the moves…. “You don’t have to be the biggest, you don’t have to be the best, you just have to be willing, you just have to say Yes….”
*Color the rope ornament—our rope will be scarlet!


December 11
“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God…And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.” Ruth 1:16, 22

Today’s symbol: Sack of Grain

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Ruth and Naomi from the book of Ruth in a children’s Bible. Ruth was not born into God’s chosen people, yet she is named in Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 1:5). Clearly, God’s plan includes calling ALL people to Himself, but just like Ruth, we all have the choice to go back where we came from…
*Talk about the truth that all we have comes from God…this includes the people in our lives – our family, friends, teachers. These people are gifts from God just like food, our home, and other things are gifts from God. Ruth and Naomi were gifts to each other. Through Naomi’s friendship, Ruth came into God’s family and through Ruth’s friendship, Naomi still had a family. How can we bless the people we know?
*Color the grain ornament and thank God from providing food to eat and family and friends with whom to share it!



December 12
“And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant hears.’ Then the LORD said the Samuel, ‘Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.’” 1 Samuel 3:10-11

Today’s symbol: Crown

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Samuel hearing God’s call (1 Samuel 3) and then anointing Saul as king (1 Samuel 9-10) in a children’s Bible.
*We will sing our CBS songs about Samuel... Sung to Mulberry Bush tune: “This is the way that Samuel grew, Samuel grew, Samuel grew. This is the way that Samuel grew…just like you!”
And sung to Frere Jacques:
"Where is Samuel, where is Samuel?
Here I am, here I am
Speak Lord I am listening
Speak Lord I am listening
I will obey
I will obey "
*Talk about how God knew that an earthly king was not what God’s people really needed. But they did not listen to God’s servant Samuel. Many many stories in the Bible show that Samuel was right; Israel’s earthly kings were often evil and self-serving. Ask God for help in doing what’s really best for us and not necessarily what we think is best.
*Color the crown and thank God for His forever King, Jesus!


December 13
“’There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and get him…’ And the LORD said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’” 1 Samuel 16:11,12

Today’s symbol: Shepherd’s Crook

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of David being anointed king from 1 Samuel 16 in a children’s Bible. David was a lowly shepherd as a boy who became a shepherd of God’s people as their king. Years later, Joseph and Mary would have to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, because Joseph was in David’s family tree.
*Read the 23rd Psalm (perhaps in a kid-friendly translation) and talk about God providing what we need.
*Talk about Jesus as the Good Shepherd and the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15).
*Color the Shepherd’s Crook ornament and add it to the Jesse tree!

Jesse Tree ~ Days 5 through 8

We are enjoying our journey with the Jesse Tree! Each evening we gather for our Jesse tree devotional time. Then Thomas colors the ornament while Hudson tries to color everything else like the coffee table and the Bibles :) We also have Mary and Joseph visiting us right now for the Posada at church(Mary and Joseph travel from home to home on their way to Bethlehem). So we also spend a lot of time asking Thomas and Hudson to be respectful of Mary and Joseph...Yes, Thomas, they are just plastic, but they do represent real people...Just in case, you pictured a nice solemn Jesse tree devotional time, now you know:)


December 5
“Isaac said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’” Genesis 22:7,8

Today’s symbol: Ram

Ideas to do and talk about:
*If we didn’t read about it yesterday, we will read about Isaac being born and then read an account of the “almost” sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 22. I can't even imagine what little minds think when they listen to this story…I love the way the Jesus Storybook Bible puts this, “Abraham didn’t understand. But he knew that God was his father who loved him. And so Abraham trusted him.” Later in the story it says, “Isaac didn’t understand but he knew his father loved him. And so he trusted him.”
*Pray to always know God as Father who can be trusted in ALL things.
*Talk about Abraham’s trust in God and that because he trusted God, God promised that in his offspring all the nations shall be blessed. That blessing is Jesus Christ!
*Think about giving something to God as a sacrifice…a toy given to Goodwill, time given in prayer that could be used otherwise, doing an inconvenient task for someone who asked….
*Thank God for providing the Lamb as a sacrifice in our place…


December 6
“And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” Genesis 28:12

Today’s symbol: Ladder

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Jacob’s ladder in a children’s Bible. Before Jacob’s encounter with God in his dream, we don’t know how much he knows of God. While we can guess that the family stories of faith were passed down, Jacob now has direct knowledge of the God of his fathers. Genesis 28:17 states, “And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place!...’” While awesome is commonly used these days, this awesome is the real deal…My prayer…that my boys come to have direct knowledge of God, that our family faith stories “prime” their hearts for it, that they have fear/holy reverence for our God, and that they know how truly awesome He is…
*Talk about that God met Jacob in the dream despite the fact that he was “imperfect.” (He had deceived his brother and his father, with selfish motives…)
*Talk about if a ladder could reach to heaven…I love to ask Thomas these kinds of questions. You never know what you are going to hear!
*Color the ladder ornament and add some angels to it if you’d like!


December 7
“And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.’” Genesis 45:4,5

Today’s symbol: Joseph’s Coat

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Joseph and God’s great plan to preserve His people from Genesis 37-46. “The forgiving prince” in the Jesus Storybook Bible is so good. Emphasize how God would use everything, even bad things, that happened to Joseph for good.
*Talk about something sad or hard in the past that over time you could see as good.
*Make coats of many colors from paper bags colored with crayons or markers
*Color the Joseph’s Coat ornament with bright colors and add it to your Jesse tree.
*Thank God that all things will work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).


December 8
“Your lamb shall be without blemish…” Exodus 12:5
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13

Today’s symbol: Lamb

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of the plagues and the Passover in a children’s Bible. We may have to read portions of both the Jesus Storybook Bible and the Big Picture Story Bible for this one!
* I was a frog in a church choir play about the Exodus when I was in elementary school so we may do some frog-hopping for fun…
*Talk about being hard-hearted like Pharaoh. Do we ever want to shut our ears to God or others in authority over us?
*Here’s a China story that I have to tell about the Passover… When we were in China, we did an Easter presentation for Matthew’s class during which we showed the Jesus film. To prep the students for what they were about to see, our teammate Rick drew a timeline on the board, listing many stories beginning at creation going all the way to present time. These students were familiar with many of these Biblical stories as “myths.” After thinking about the timeline and watching the film, one student actually made this connection asking us in front of the class if Jesus’ death was like the sacrifice of the unblemished lambs at Passover since he was sinless…Yes!
*Thank God for His faithfulness to His people throughout the ages and for keeping His promises. He would preserve His people through famine (remember Joseph’s story) and now through slavery so that one day through Jesus all the world would be blessed!
*Color the Lamb ornament and hang it on the Jesse tree...

Jesse Tree ~ Days 1 through 4

December 1
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:1, 31a (ESV)

Today’s symbol: World/Dove

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of Genesis 1-2 in your favorite children’s Bible (We love the Jesus Storybook Bible and The Big Picture Story Bible)
*Talk about what the world was like when God created it – it was full of peace, full of beauty, full of love. What was not there? (fear, sadness, disobedience, etc.)
*Color and hang your first Jesse Tree ornament. We will color the earth behind the dove.
*Take a walk, thanking God for creating the things you see and hear


December 2
“The Lord said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me and I ate.’” Genesis 3:13 (ESV)

Today’s symbol: Apple

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of the Fall in a children’s Bible. I’m sure the boys would love to use one of their toy snakes as a prop!
* Talk about how God created a perfect beautiful world but something sad happened, Adam and Eve made the choice to disobey God. We get to make choices everyday. How can we make the right choice when we want to disobey?
*Talk about the Genesis 3:13. Eve disobeyed God but who did she blame? Do we ever blame others for our bad choices?
*Thank God for sending His Spirit to help us obey and make right choices AND for forgiving us for our sins.
*Color/decorate the apple ornament. We might add a snake to our ornament. Hang it on your Jesse Tree!


December 3
“The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil.” Genesis 6:5 (CEV)

Today’s symbol: Noah’s Ark

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of the Flood in a children’s Bible. Find an account that gives the “why” of the flood. The Big Picture Story Bible says this, “Now Adam and Eve ruled the world in evil ways. And they had children who did the same. Their children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all turned away from God….This made God sad. All the peoples of the earth had rejected him as king.”
*Talk about how it was only Noah who listened to God and how Noah obeyed God even when everyone else did not. Have you ever wanted to disobey because everyone else was disobeying? What can we do when we want to disobey with our friends but we know we shouldn’t?
*Color the Ark ornament and add a rainbow if you want. Hang it on your Jesse tree!
*Thank God for Jesus, who while we were sinners died for us (Romans 5:8.)


December 4
“And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”
Genesis 15:5

Today’s symbol: Sky of stars

Ideas to do and talk about:
*Read an account of God giving Abraham His promise that descendants would outnumber the stars.
*Talk about Abraham’s great faith in God. Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”
*Talk about how God promised Abraham something that seemed impossible but with God ALL things are possible. Do you remember why it seemed impossible?
*Try to count the stars in the night sky...
*Color the sky of stars ornament and talk about how every person in God’s family is like one of those stars because we are descendants of Abraham through faith! Hang the ornament on your Jesse Tree!
*Thank God for the faithfulness of Abraham and ask for faith like Abraham. Thank God for bringing you into His family!

An Advent Tradition...the Jesse Tree

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."
Isaiah 11:1

Today is the first Sunday of Advent! Time to prepare for one of my favorite traditions--the Jesse Tree! For the past few years, Thomas has enjoyed hanging Jesse tree ornaments on our small tree in the keeping room. It is my "ambition," to share our family's tradition on our blog...

Here are the preparations I have made:
*Little tree set-up and ready
*Ornaments printedon cardstock , cut out and hole punched
--This year I'm using most of the ornaments from Faith Magazine you can find by clicking here. (I printed the small size...using the multiple pages option on my printer so they are actually smaller than the small size.) Here is a list of the symbols/ornaments I'm using. I'm doing a few of them in a different order and I had to draw Joseph's coat of many colors and Rahab's rope.
*I've clipped the ornaments in order around this precious banner Thomas made last year in school...I contemplated clipping them to a garland on the mantel or on a ribbon hanging on the wall (starting with 1 on the bottom), but I discovered this banner when I was going through my boxes!

Today's symbol:
Tree or branch or whatever will be used to hang the ornaments

What we're going to talk about:
A family tree shows how people in a family are related to each other. Since we are members of a family, we can find our place on our family tree. Jesus was in a family, too, and his family started long long before he was born in Bethlehem. Long before Jesus was born, God's people were very sad because they were living far from their promised home. A messanger named Isaiah was sent to God's people to give them hope. He told them to wait and trust in God because God would fulfill his promise of a forever King and that that King would come from the family tree of a man named Jesse. That King is Jesus and as we prepare for Christmas we will learn about many important people in Jesus' family tree. You can read more about it in Isaiah 11.

Ideas to do:
**Draw a simple family tree showing how family members are related.
**Talk about how special it is to be a member of God's family, too.
**Set up where you will hang the ornaments...on a tree, a stick from the yard, on a paper tree on the wall--whatever works for you!

Lord Jesus, give us grace as we prepare our hearts and homes for Your Coming...amen.


Upcoming on Tuesday, December 1...God's Good World...

FIVE!!!

Hard to believe, but it is true...Thomas is FIVE!!! If I could brag just a bit, he is such a great kid...kind, helpful, interesting to talk to, curious about everything... He is such a blessing to our family! For his birthday, he got his first 2-wheeler with pedals (you may remember the balance bike). After a week of practice (and he has been diligent), I'm amazed at how well he is riding and he never had training wheels! His BUG birthday party was Sunday afternoon and it was so much fun. You can check out all the pictures below. FIVE years, seriously?! Time flies....

For all the saints...

Who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy All Saints' Day! Today we're remembering all the saints who have touched our lives and who live both here and in heaven...

Let's just say we celebrated All Saints' a day early with Thomas and Hudson as St. George and the dragon , but if you ask Thomas, he would say that he was just a knight. We started our All Hallow's Eve celebration a week earlier at a Trunk or Treat. Hudson had so much fun walking from car to car, holding out his bag, and saying something that vaguely resembled "trick or treat." Then yesterday, Thomas crafted at Micheals' and celebrated the "harvest" at Lifeway while Hudson napped in the car so he would be rested for THE cutest Halloween party EVER hosted by the MOST precious Flutterby and Bee. We got home just as some neighbor friends were starting out so we joined them for a couple of streets. It was great fun and we were very thankful for the extra hour from "falling back." Enjoy the pictures!

Pumpkin Patch

To say that we had lovely weather for our trip to the pumpkin patch on Tuesday would be a VAST UNDERSTATEMENT...then again, we have had the soggiest autumm in my memory so a lack of vitamin D may be affecting my judgement. With a few friends from our church playgroup, we traveled to the Great Pumpkin Patch in Hayden, AL about 45 minutes from home and it was worth the drive. From the wagon ride to the field of pumpkins to the inflatables, it was a fun time had by all. The boys tended to gravitate toward the busted pumpkins...picture oozing pumpkin inards and flies...of course, who wouldn't be drawn to that great science lesson?! Thankfully the hay maze was a nice distraction. My favorite part was watching Hudson's face as we rode the wagon--wonder and joy with perhaps a little bit of expectation of something good--is the best way to describe it.



May something today give you wonder, joy, and expectation of something good...

Ten Years and Counting

On July 31, Matthew and I celebrated our 10th anniversary! I know, it's old news and blogs are supposed to be the most up-to-date news source out there. Well, this is the pony-express blog :) We celebrated by renewing our vows over Matthew's lunch break and taking pictures with the kids. Our wonderful photographer not only captured some great pics of the kids but helped tremendously by keeping them out of trouble! Click here to see a slideshow of the pictures.

We also had a delicious meal at Cocina Superior that evening and came home to the kids in bed asleep (which was a treat in itself!).

Weekend Fun

I'm suffering from a summer cold, I think, but that doesn't slow down the Franklins...There is NO downtime for this housefull of boys :)

We started the weekend searching for fireflies/lightning bugs while we waited for Mimi and Gran to show up. Even Hudson can catch them!!!




On Saturday, after our regular trip to Costco, we headed out to Leeds to the Bass Pro shop. Thomas participated in three of their Summer Camp workshops (earning pins in Fishing, Bird Watching, and Archery), practiced casting off of a boat, tried target shooting at the laser shooting gallery, and cooked & enjoyed delicious smores.


After teaching a roomful of three and four year olds for Sunday school the next day, I felt like taking a nap, but after vegging during quiet time, I decided a trip to the zoo was in order. The rain had cooled down the heat so I knew the animals would be out and happy. Thomas' favorite part of the zoo was playing in the water and watching the giraffes (my favorite animal). I was pleased to see camels where the bison used to be - camels just make me laugh. But the funniest thing was talking to Hudson about the animals. I would sign for him the name of the animal if I knew it. In the primate house, Hudson was calling all of them dogs. I would say "No dog -- Monkey." And he would adamently pound his leg signing "dog" and I would sign and say "No dog - that's a monkey." It ended with Hudson throwing his cup at me in frustration! This child has a mind of his own!

Bikes, Bubbles, Bye to School...a Backlog

I really need to let go of the guilt I have for not posting more regularly :) Forgive me and enjoy this post!

Here is a backlog of videos we've taken:

This first video is Thomas riding his balance bike. This is his really cool bike that doesn't have pedals. Basically, the idea is that if a child learns to balance on this bike, he'll never need training wheels. He has gotten great at gliding and he's even ridden in all the way to the park and back!


Hudson loves bubbles!!! Bubble is one of his words and he can even make them himself.


Bye to Early Arts...Here is a video of Thomas at his end of the year Art Show. Precious art and precious boy...

Happy Hour

If you haven't gone to Happy Hour at Sonic from 2-4pm then you are missing out....We started going on Saturdays after soccer. These pictures are from our first Happy Hour. I got a strawberry slush and Hudson LOVED it...The tears are from crying when Thomas and I were taking our sips! Need I say more....

Easter Fun!

Finally, here are our pictures from all the Easter fun... The slideshow starts with Thomas' school egg hunt and party, followed by our church playgroup/guild egg hunt, the Easter Walk at church and then Easter Sunday. The Easter Walk was really great. We were led through a series of scenes from the last days of Jesus' life with the kids participating. You'll see Thomas waving his palm, following Jesus on the donkey. We also witnessed the Last Supper, the events in the Garden of Gethsemene (sp?), the trial by Pilate...and ending by the tomb where the stone was rolled away. This will be a tradition for us for sure and I'm inviting everyone to join us next year! I didn't get good pictures, but we made Resurrection Cookies on Saturday night. I must have done something wrong but I will definitely do this again next year.

I sure do wish I could video the memories in my mind from this Easter. One of my favorite memories is Thomas' expression when he tasted the vinegar while we were making the cookies...he thought it was going to be sweet! And when I explained that we were leaving the cookies in the oven and we sealed the oven with tape just like Jesus' tomb was sealed, he was wide-eyed and so serious. We did the Resurrection Eggs at our church playgroup egg hunt and afterward Thomas would say that every empty egg he found was a message from God :) Finally, as you will see in the pictures Hudson caught on to egg hunting, after finding one egg at the church egg hunt to finding many eggs at home on Easter Sunday.

It was a wonderful Easter!

Good Friday

Today's service at noon was beautiful...quiet, prayerful, full of the Word (and packed - I almost felt a collective heart ache during the singing of "Were You There...").

The dean's sermon was just about the best Good Friday sermon I have ever heard...Read it or download it to your ipod (not that I have one, but this would be a good use for it if you do).

As we await Easter Sunday, may we continue look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross...(Hebrews 12:2)

Soccer Firsts

Thomas loves to point out when he's doing something for the first time..."This is my FIRST TIME to...." he exclaims. We've had a couple of soccer firsts recently. Last weekend was his FIRST SOCCER PRACTICE (can you hear him say it?) and today was his FIRST SOCCER GAME! He has had so much fun with the games the coaches use to teach the fundamentals for the sport: Follow-the-leader, Red light-Green light, and Fetch. Fetch is his favorite...the coach kicks the ball, Thomas runs after it and stops it, kicks it backward, and then dribbles it back. Now, the actual soccer game was entertaining. Picture eight 4 and 5 year olds running after a ball -- wait make that five or six kids running after the ball, because the others just look around bewildered at least at the beginning of the game. Thomas had not a clue what to do and then just started following the other kids. He ran and ran and ran...got knocked down, got up and ran some more. I was exhausted just watching him! In all the confusion, he actually scored a goal and was thrilled. Enjoy our pictures from last weekend and today.

SNOW!!!

The great snow of 2009....it is a winter wonderland! Absolutely beautiful -- fluffy -- and now melting :) This is the fun of living in the south. We can truly appreciate this weather because it is here today and gone tomorrow (I'm hearing 70 degree weather this coming week!). Thomas is having a blast (he has learned how to roll snow into a BIG ball for a snowman) and Hudson is taking it all in. You have to wonder what is going on in his little brain when his world changes like this so drastically...what is all that white stuff? Enjoy the slideshow!

Needless To Say

Needless to say, I'm failing terribly on my resolutions for the new year(see previous post), but I have a whole year to accomplish them, right? I'm working on a post with pictures of all our holiday fun. Weeding through all the pictures and wanting to express all we did concisely is time consuming, but hopefully, I'll finish soon! (that was a super long sentence!)

There is a lot to say about the boys...Hudson is now primarily walking and has officially graduated to the "toddler" room in the church nursery. As the nursery director said, "He's growing up so fast..." He loves to do whatever Thomas or I do. Just the other day, I caught him "singing" into Thomas' microphone. He has also started playing the "chase me" game -- he does something he isn't supposed to do (like play in the curtains) and smiles at you, inviting you to come after him. Then he tries to run from you.



Sunday, I substituted in Thomas' Sunday school class. During circle time, the children go around the circle saying things they are thankful for. Most of the children said things like "my dog," "my mom and dad,"...Thomas said "I'm thankful my mom came to help teach my class today..." He either has mastered the art of flattery at a young age or is a truly sweet little man (I think it's the latter). Today, he was helping me fold the clothes and out of nowhere said, "These dogs are barking." When I inquired what that meant, he said "The dogs on my feet are barking because they are tired." He got it from a LeapFrog video we borrowed from the library. He hears everything and repeats most!

Oh, I'm so thankful for my little men! Until my next post....

Resolutions for the New Year

Here are two of my resolutions for 2009:
1. BLOG more... I seriously could blog the funny things Thomas says daily and, well, I won't be doing that. But I do want to be better at posting more frequently for the benefit of remembering these days that are flying by.
2. Conquer clutter! I borrowed Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett from the library and I will be getting my literal house in order. I know this is an emotional, physical, and spiritual undertaking and I'm excited about it! Here's something from the book that I found interesting:

"Loss of productivity" and unrealized ambitions, if dissected, will often be from junk. That's what inefficiency is--clutter in one form or another getting in the way of achievement and inspiration. Businesses and businesspeople can commit junkicide, and I've watched people with brilliant talents of every kind (athletic, artistic, musical) not be able to use an ounce of it because the clutter in their lives smothered and hid their ability.

Best wishes for your New Year and your resolutions!